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FIELD  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY. 

PUBLICATION  193. 
ZOOLOGICAL  SERIES.  VOL.  XII,  No.  i. 


NOTES  ON   LITTLE  KNOWN   SPECIES  OF 

SOUTH  AMERICAN   BIRDS  WITH 

DESCRIPTIONS  OF  NEW 

SUBSPECIES 


BY 

CHARLES  B.  CORY 
Curator  of  Department  of  Zoology. 


CHICAGO,  U.  S.  A. 

January  25,  1917. 


"TVpr 

v   '  '* 


NOTES  ON  LITTLE  KNOWN  SPECIES  OF  SOUTH 

AMERICAN  BIRDS  WITH  DESCRIPTIONS 

OF  NEW  SUBSPECIES. 


BY  CHARLES  B.  CORY. 


Nyctipolus  hirundinaceus  hirundinaceus  (Spix.). 

Caprimulgus  hirundinaceus  Spix,  Av.  Brasil,  II,   1825,  p.   2,  pi.  Hi, 

fig.  i,  ("in  sylvis  fl.  Solimoens"). 
Nyctipolus  hirundinaceus  Oberholser,  Bull.  U.  S.  Nat.  Mus.,  No.  86, 

1914,  p.  97  in  text. 

The  history  of  this  little  known  species  may  be  briefly  stated  as 
follows: 

Spix  described  the  bird  which  he  claimed  to  have  taken  "in  sylvis 
fl.  Solimoens"  the  old  name  for  that  part  of  the  Amazon  River 
from  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Negro  to  the  Maranon  and  Ucayali.  The 
type  specimen  is  still  preserved  in  Munich,  and  according  to  Hellmayr*, 
it  is  labeled  "Caprimulgus  hirundinaces  Sp.  Amazon  Str.  Spix."  For 
many  years  it  was  considered  to  be  the  same  as  Chordeiles  acutipennis 
(Bodd.),  the  name  being  included  in  the  synonomy  of  that  species, 
but  in  1906  Hellmayr  (I.e.)  corrects  the  error  and  states  that  it  is  a 
well-marked  species  which  approaches  nearest  to  Setopagis  parvulus 
(Gould),  and  in  addition  to  Spix's  type  he  examined  three  skins  from 
the  Vienna  Museum  (which  were  purchased  by  Natterer  in  1840  from 
dealers  in  London  and  Liverpool,  and  labeled  "Bahia")  and  (in  foot- 
note) says  he  also  examined  a  series  of  specimens  of  this  species  which 
were  collected  by  Reiser  in  Bahia  and  Piauhy,  and  that  the  Tring 
Museum  possesses  a  specimen  which  undoubtedly  came  from  Bahia. 
He  therefore  concludes  that  there  is  no  doubt  the  species  is  an  in- 
habitant of  eastern  Brazil  and  that  the  type  locality  given  by  Spix 
is  wrong. 

In  addition  to  a  very  full  description  of  the  type  specimen  Hellmayr 
gives  an  illustration  of  the  four  outer  primaries  and  according  to  both 
illustration  and  description,  the  three  outer  primaries  have  no  white 
on  the  outer  webs. 

*  Abh.  k.  Bayer.  Akad.  Wiss.,  Munchen,  XXII,  1906,  p.  636 

3 


4      FIELD  MUSEUM  or  NATURAL  HISTORY  —  ZOOLOGY,  VOL.  XII. 

The  Field  Museum  collection  contains  ten  specimens  from  the 
State  of  Ceara  and  three  from  the  State  of  Bahia,  which  are  subspecies 
of  N.  hirundinaceus,  and  the  specimens  from  Ceara  are  nearer  in  general 
coloration  to  Spix's  colored  plate  of  the  species  than  those  from  Bahia. 
Accepting  without  question  that  the  illustration  and  description  of 
the  white  markings  on  the  outer  primaries  of  the  type  specimen,  as 
given  by  Hellmayr,  is  correct,  we  have  three  well-marked  forms,  which 
may  be  recognized  at  once  by  the  different  white  markings  on  the  outer 
primaries,  and  birds  from  Ceara  also  differ  from  Bahia  specimens  in 
somewhat  paler  coloration,  the  belly  more  rufous  (especially  in  females), 
and  the  decidedly  less  strongly  banded  lower  belly  and  ventral  region. 
In  N.  hirundinaceus  hirundinaceus  (Spix)  there  is  no  white  on  the  outer 
webs  of  (at  least)  the  first  and  second  outer  primaries.  In  N.  h.  crissalis 
(Cory)  only  the  outer  primary  has  the  outer  web  without  a  white 
patch,  the  second  primary  has  the  white  bar  on  both  webs,  but  the 
shaft  is  black.  In  birds  from  Ceara  all  the  outer  primaries  have  the 
white  patch  extending  across  both  webs  and  the  shafts  of  the  feathers 
in  the  white  areas  are  white  (not  black).  These  differences  (although 
the  white  areas  vary  somewhat  in  shape  and  size)  are  constant  in  all 
the  ten  specimens  from  Ceara  and  in  the  three  from  Bahia.  The 
form  from  the  Province  of  Ceara  being  undescribed,  I  propose  to 
name  it  — 

Nyctipolus  hirundinaceus  cearae  subsp.  nov. 

Type  from  Quixada,  Ceara,  Brazil.  Male,  No.  47170,  Field 
Museum  of  Natural  History.  Collected  by  Robert  H.  Becker,  June  20, 


Similar  to  the  male  of  AT.  h.  crissalis  Cory,  but  the  general  plumage 
somewhat  paler,  the  belly  more  rufous  (especially  in  females),  and  the 
black  bands  on  the  lower  belly  narrower  and  less  distinctly  marked; 
all  outer  primaries  with  white  band  crossing  both  webs,  the  shafts  of 
the  feathers  in  the  white  areas  being  white. 

Wing,  120;  tail,  90  mm. 

We  have  therefore  three  forms: 

(1)  N.  h.  hirundinaceus  (Spix).    Type  locality?    Upper  Amazon? 

(2)  N.  h.  crissalis   (Cory).    Type  locality  Rio  de  Peixe,   near 
Queimados,  Bahia. 

(3)  N.  h.  cearae  Cory.    Type  locality  Quixada,  Ceara. 

There  seems  to  be  a  gradual  regional  diminution  in  extent  of  the 
white  markings  on  the  primaries  of  this  species  from  north  to  south. 
In  specimens  from  Ceara  the  white  areas  are  most  pronounced.  In 
those  from  the  interior  of  Bahia  they  are  less  so,  and  from  the  fact 


JAN.  1917.     NOTES  ON  SOUTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS  —  CORY.  5 

that  Hellmayr  has  seen  specimens  from  "Bahia"  which  agree  with 
Spix's  type  in  the  absence  of  white  on  three  outer  primaries,  it  would 
seem  logical  to  assume  that  it  came  from  a  region  still  farther  south, 
possibly  from  the  vicinity  of  Ouro  Preto  in  southern  Minas  Geraes 
(where  Spix  stayed  for  about  two  months  from  the  last  of  February 
until  May,  1818)  or  from  the  region  of  Rio  de  Janeiro  (Spix,  July  to 
December,  1817)  or  Ypanema  or  S.  Paulo  (Spix,  January,  1818). 


Four  outer  primaries  of: 

I.    Nyctipolus  hirundinaceus  hirundinaceus  (Spix),  from  drawing  and  descrip- 
tion of  Spix's  type  given  by  Hellmayr  (I.e.). 

a.     Nyclipolus  h.  crissalis  (Cory).     Shafts  of  feathers  in  white  areas  black. 
3.     Nyctipolus  h.  cearac  Cory.    Shafts  of  feathers  in  white  areas  white. 


Setopagis  (Caprimulgus)  parvulus  (Gould)  may  be  distinguished  at 
a  glance  from  any  of  the  forms  of  S.  hirundinaceus  by  its  darker  plumage 
and  the  conspicuous  black  and  white  (sometimes  black  and  buff) 
scapulars  (see  Hellmayr,  i.e.,  Tab.  2).  The  pattern  of  the  white 
markings  on  the  primaries  approaches  nearest  to  that  of  5.  h.  crissalis 
but  in  parvulus  these  areas  are  much  larger  and  two  specimens  from 
Matto  Grosso  (c?  and  9 )  have  two  buff  spots  on  the  inner  web  of  the 
outer  primary  instead  of  one  white  one.  In  addition  to  other  characters 
males  of  5.  parvulus  have  a  patch  of  white  on  the  ends  of  four  outer 
tail  feathers  instead  of  on  only  the  two  outer  feathers  as  in  N.  hirun- 
dinaceus (see  Hellmayr,  i.e.,  p.  637, illustrations). 

Although  genetically  distinct  from  Chordeiles  acutipennis,  N. 
hirundinaceus  has  a  superficial  resemblance  to  that  species,  but  in 
addition  to  many  other  differences  the  conspicuously  longer  wing 
(wing  of  C.  acutipennis  averaging  35  mm.  longer  than  that  of  N.  hirun- 
dinaceus) will  distinguish  it  at  a  glance. 


6  FIELD  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY  —  ZOOLOGY,  VOL.  XII. 

Speotyto  cunicularia  grallaria  (Temminck). 

Judging  from  Temminck's  description  and  plate  *  and  the  unsatis- 
factory description  by  Spix  **  the  type  of  5.  grallaria  approaches 
nearest  in  size  and  coloration  to  specimens  of  Speotyto  from  Sao  Paulo, 
Brazil.  Birds  from  that  region  have  the  front  and  sides  of  the  tarsus 
fully  feathered  (as  shown  in  Temminck's  plate)  but  not  nearly  so 
thickly  as  in  birds  from  Argentina  and  Chile,  and  decidedly  less  sparsely 
feathered  than  in  birds  from  Bahia.  Hellmayr  f  examined  a  specimen 
supposed  to  have  been  secured  by  the  Spix  expedition  and  labeled 
"Athene  grallaria  Tern.  Cunicularia  L.  (?)  Brazilien,"  and  he  states 
that  while  it  approached  nearer  to  birds  from  the  Rio  Verde  (Minas 
Geraes)  than  to  those  from  Ypiranga,  Sao  Paulo,  it  differed  in  some  ways 
from  both.  There  appears  to  be  no  certainty  as  to  where  the  supposed 
Spix  specimen  was  taken,  or,  in  fact,  that  it  represented  true  S.  gral- 
laria, and  as  the  type  of  that  species  seems  to  have  been  lost,  I  propose 
"Minas  Geraes"  (the  first  locality  mentioned  by  Spix)  as  the  type 
locality  for  grallaria.  The  type  localities  and  supposed  distribution 
of  the  southeastern  and  southern  forms  of  5.  cunicularia  will  therefore 
be  as  follows: 

Speotyto  cunicularia  cunicularia  (Molina).  (Chile)  Tarsus  thickly 
feathered  (except  at  the  back);  dark  markings  paler;  wing  (females) 
averaging  184;  tail  averaging  about  93  mm.  Range:  Chile,  Argentina, 
Patagonia,  and  Uruguay. 

Speotyto  cunicularia  grallaria  (Temminck).  (Minas  Geraes,  Brazil) 
Tarsus  fully  feathered  (except  at  the  back)  but  decidedly  less  thickly 
than  in  5.  c.  cunicularia;  brown  markings  darker;  wing  (females)  averag- 
ing 175,  tail  about  82  mm.  Range:  Southern  Brazil  (Minas  Geraes, 
Sao  Paulo,  Parana,  and  perhaps  somewhat  farther  south)  and  Paraguay. 

Speotyto  cunicularia  beckeri  Cory.  (Sao  Marcello,  Rio  Preto,  Bahia, 
Brazil)  Tarsus  very  sparsely  feathered,  the  lower  portion  being  prac- 
tically bare;  brown  markings  decidedly  darker  than  in  S.  c.  grallaria 
and  heavier  and  more  extensive  below;  forehead  white  (width  about 

7  mm.);    wing   (females)   averaging  about   168,  tail  about   75   mm. 
Range:    Bahia  and  probably  Goyaz  and  Paiuhi  and  perhaps  farther 
north  and  west. 

Scardafella  squammata  cearae  subsp.  nov. 

Type  from  Quixada,  Ceara,  Brazil.  Adult  male,  No.  45330,  Field 
Museum  of  Natural  History.  Collected  by  R.  H.  Becker,  June  21, 1913. 

*  PI.  Col.  ii,  1822,  pi.  146. 

**  Av.  Bras.,  i,  1824,  p.  21. 

t  Abh.  k.  Bayer.  Akad.  Wiss.,  Munchen,  XXII,  1906,  p.  574. 


JAN.  1917.     NOTES  ON  SOUTH  AMERICAN  BIRDS  —  CORY.  7 

Similar  to  S.  s.  squammata  from  Bahia,  with  bases  of  outer  webs  of 
outer  primaries  without  rufous,  but  breast  and  throat  paler  and  shading 
to  white  on  upper  throat;  chin  pure  white. 

Wing,  95;  tail,  103;  bill,  12  mm. 

Scardafella  r.  brasiliensis  Beebe  (Zoologica,  I,  No.  i,  1907,  p.  21) 
comes  very  close  to  being  a  nomen  midum,  although  he  had  but  one 
Brazilian  specimen  (from  Bahia)  and  scattered  throughout  the  paper 
are  various  references  to  it,  including  measurements  (in  the  table  of 
measurements)  and  a  plate,  but  luckily  the  question  of  nomenclature 
is  not  important,  as  the  supposed  type  being  from  Bahia  the  name  is 
antedated  by  5.  squammata  squammata  (Lesson). 

Leptoptila  ochroptera  approximans  subsp.  nov. 

Type  from  Serra  Baturite,  Ceara,  Brazil.  Female,  No.  46922, 
Field  Museum  of  Natural  History.  Collected  by  R.  H.  Becker, 
July  19,  1913. 

Similar  to  L.  o.  ochroptera  of  southern  and  eastern  Brazil,  but 
differs  chiefly  in  its  much  more  pale  brown  (almost  vinaceous  brown 
and  not  at  all  olive)  back,  rump,  and  upper  tail  coverts.  Size  about 
that  of  females  of  L.  o.  ochroptera. 

Piaya  cayana  venczuelensis  Cory* 

This  form  is  apparently  restricted  to  the  low  heavily  forested 
region  south  of  Lake  Maracaibo  in  western  Venezuela,  and  is  readily 
distinguished  from  P.  c.  columbiana  by  its  chestnut  bay  upper  parts 
and  generally  darker  coloration  and  from  P.  C.  cayana  by  the  conspicu- 
ous rusty  brown  coloration  on  the  under  surface  of  the  rectrices  and 
other  differences. 

|-'$  Reference  to  the  difference  in  coloration  of  the  under  surface  of 
the  rectrices  was  inadvertently  omitted  in  my  original  description  of 
the  subspecies  when  comparing  it  with  P.  c.  cayana. 

*  Described  in  Field  Mus.  Pub.,  No.  167,  Orn.  Ser.  I,  1913,  p.  284  (Orope, 
Venezuela). 


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